Shoemaking



W. M. PAGE May 2, 7.939.

S HOEMAKING Filed Dec. 31, 1957 Patented May 2, 1939 UNHTED STATES eA'rsN'r series SHOEMAKING William M. Page,

Marblehead, Mass.

Application December 31, 1937, Serial No. 182,776

Claims.

This invention relates to the manufacture of flexible shoes or slippers. It consists in a novel process of shoemaking which is characterized by cutting out a plug or lift from the forepart of an insole piece in a lasted shoe leaving the overlasted margin of the upper secured to the resuiting marginal frame, attaching the plug to a sole, and then securing the sole, built up in this manner in the shoe bottom with the plug restored to its original location but unattached about its edges. The resulting shoe has a forepart which is extremely flexible and entirely smooth beneath the foot of the wearer.

The process of my invention may be put into practical commercial use with important economies of manufacture. In the first place it is applicable equally well to the manufacture of Compo, McKay or Littleway shoes, or shoes made by any combination of these conventional methods, without requiring special lasts or machinery. It takes full advantage of the thickness of the outsole employed, requiring the removal of no stock therefrom to compensate for the thickness of the overlasted margin in fashioning a smooth On the contrary, the outsole is built up cemented thereto. Accordingly both a relatively light insole and a relatively light outsole may be employed because, after the insole has served its function in taking the strain of the lasting operation and the upper has become set in the shape of the last, then a substantial portion of the in sole forepart is removed and utilized to build up and reinforce the forepart of the outsole. The forepart of the shoe is, of course, rendered very flexible by the removal of the plug from the insole, and the plug itself, when presented as a part of the outsole, is adapted to fit back perfectly into the opening in the shoe bottom formed by its removal from the insole.

Attempts have been made heretofore to supply an insole frame, to which the upper may be lasted, by first splitting a bevelled marginal frame from an outsole. This is tacked to the last prior to the lasting operation and the shoe is finally bottomed with the mutilated outsole. While this well-known process produces a flexible shoe, it requires the use of a thick and expensive outsole and introduces considerable difficulty in shoetion has been completed in accordance with any I desired or conventional method.

The process of my invention has the further advantage of supplying during the lasting operation, a complete insole or insole forepart which is not therefore likely to be distorted or misplaced when subjected to lasting stress. This obviates the difficulty encountered where the sequence of steps is reversed and an insole frame provided before the lasting operation. Accordingly my process is well adapted to the production of high grade shoes where the upper is formed closely to the contour of the last with severe lasting stress in order to bring out the fine lines of the last in the finished shoes.

The form of insole employed is of secondary importance so long as it presents a complete forepart for the lasting operation. Accordingly any combination of forepart piece and shank or tuck may be employed in carrying out the invention.

The plug or lift removed from the forepart piece in carrying out my invention, although smaller in dimensions, may be similar in its general outline to the contour of the last bottom, and to this end, it is convenient in some cases to outline the plug upon the insole piece by marking or scoring. Even though the marking may be partially obscured by the overlastecl margin of the upper it will assist the operator in determining the size and location of the plug.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following description of its application to the manufacture of womens shoes as illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which,

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective showing a scored insole tacked to a last bottom,

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the lasted pp Fig. 3 is a similar view illustrating the operation of severing and removing the plug from the insole,

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view in perspective showing the forepart of the lasted shoe with the plug removed,

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary View in perspective showing the forepart of a built-up outsole, and

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the completed shoe on the last.

In Fig. l the insole II is represented as a full length insole having a substantial area defined in its forepart by scored lines ii. The insole is subsequently to be out upon the lines l2 and the severed portion removed as a plug. It will be understood that the plug may be defined in any desired or convenient manner although it is desirable that its curved edges should be generally parallel to the margin of the insole and its rear edge located adjacent to the ball line of the shoe. The margin of the insole may be left flush as shown in Fig. 1 or it may be bevelled or feathered to reduce its marginal thickness. It will be further understood that while I have shown a full length insole in Fig. l, the practice of my inven tion requires only an insole forepart and wherever the term insole piece is used this is intended to mean either a full length insole or a forepart alone or a forepart united to other insole members.

The insole H is tacked to the bottom of a last Iii in the usual manner and the upper l3 assembled and lasted in any conventional manner. As shown in Fig. 2 it is represented as being cement lasted to the insole II, the overlasted margin M of the upper projecting over the scored lines 12 in some places. In fitting the upper for lasting the lining may be cut backabout the margin for the purpose of reducing the thickness of the overlasted margin, this being an optional step. The upper is allowed to dry or set in lasted position and in this interval the overlasted margin becomes stiffened more or less by the cement which assists in the lasting operation. If desired I may insert between the edges of the upper and the lining a strip of buckram or other fabric treated with a cellulose compound which may be dried after the lasting operation and serve to impart additional stiffness to the overlasted margin of the upper.

After the upper has set in lasted shape the upper may be trimmed if necessary and the overlasted margin roughened as suggested in Figs. 3 and 4 to improve the adhesive bond with the outsole. The roughing and upper trimming operations are carried out while the insole i5 remains intact and the overlasted margin held securely in position.

The next step in carrying out the process of my invention consists in severing from the insole a plug or lift is which has, up to this point, been merely outlined in the insole by the scored lines 12. In Fig. 2 this operation is shown as being performed by a hand knife it, but it may be conveniently carried out by using a die of suitable shape or a band knife guided in the desired contour. As shown in Fig. 3 the plug it is cut out so as to leave an inwardly inclined bevel under the edge of the opening or aperture remaining in the insole. In this operation, those portions of the overlasted margin which project inwardly beyond the scored lines 52 are severed with the plug l5. The result of this step is to leave the forepart of the lasted shoe in the condition shown in Fig. 4, that is to say, with the overlasted margin it permanently attached to a marginal frame formed in the insole H, the overlasted margin being trimmed and roughened preparatory to receiving the outsole.

The outsole H as shown in Fig. 5 is preferably produced by cementing the plug l5 to its forepart. Preparatory to cementing the plug in place any remaining scraps of upper material are scraped from its surface. The forepart of the outsole is tius built up, reinforced and provided with an elevated island corresponding exactly in shape with the opening or aperture in the insole l I. It will be understood however, that if desired, the built-up portion of the outsole may be formed from a suitable lift of sheet material or in some cases by reducing the margin of a thick outsole to secure the desired configuration. As a general thing, it is both desirable and economical to use the plug I5 removed from the insole as above explained.

Having prepared the outsole as above explained it may be incorporated in the shoe bottom as suggested in Fig. 6 with the projecting lift or island.

filling the aperture of the insole, but not otherwise connected therewith, that is to say, there is ordinarily no union between the margin of the lift of the outsole and the margin of the opening in the insole. The lift however, smoothly and completely fills the opening providing a smooth surface beneath the foot of the wearer. The outsole i i may be cemented in place or it may be secured by McKay or lock-stitch sewing after the removal of the last. In the latter case it will be noted that the overlasted margin of the upper and the marginal frame in the insole cooperate to locate and hold these parts where they can be most advantageously sewn.

It should be noted that the operations of trimming the lasted upper and roughing the surface of the overlasted margin are carried out before the removal of the plug from the insole piece and while the latter remains intact and fully effective to maintain the overlasted margin against displacement.

Having thus described my invention I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. The process of making shoes, which consists in placing a scored insole member on the forepart of a last, lasting an upper thereover, cutting out the insole member on the scored line with any overlapping margin of the upper, removing the cut-out piece, building up the forepart of an out sole with the piece removed, and then securing the built-up outsole in the shoe bottom.

2. The process of making shoes, which consists in lasting an upper over a piece of sheet material covering the forepart of a last, cutting out an inner area from said piece on lines substantially parallel to the edge of the last and including with the cut-out any overlapping portions of the overlasted margin of the upper, attaching the cut-out to a sole, and securing the sole thus built up in the shoe bottom.

3. The process of making shoes, which consists in lasting an upper over an insole, then severing a plug from the insole leaving the overlasted margin in place upon the frame thus formed in the insole, attaching the plug to a sole, and securing the sole in the shoe bottom with the plug restored to its original location in the insole.

4. The process of making flexible, shoes, which consists in lasting an upper over an insole piece, severing a plug from the piece leaving the overlasted margin attached to the marginal frame thus formed in the insole piece, attaching the plug to the forepart of a sole, and securing the sole in the shoe bottom with the plug restored to its original location but with its edges unattached to the insole piece.

5. The process of shoemaking which consists in tacking a smooth unohanneled insole to a last, overlasting and cementing the margin of an upper upon the insole, and then, without disturbing the position of the insole on the last, severing a central plug from the forepart of the insole leaving only a marginal frame beneath the overlasted margin of the upper, cementing the plug to an outsole and attaching the outsole with the plug occupying its former place in the insole. 

